The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-11-19
FUNERAL oFTHEANARCHISTs
Long Procession of Sympathizers.
Many People fan Line-Thousands OF
Spectators Along the Route.


that the bodies should be taken directly from
the respective homes of the deceased to the place of
burial which was some miles from the city. Prob
ably half million people in the city witnessed the
public preparations for the funeral. Ten thousand
people were present in the barest emptiest grave
yard adjacent TO Chicago when the corpses were
buried. Muttered curses and bitter murmurs, and a
cry OF Throttle the law" accompanied the parting
words spoken over the five lifeless bodies. 1t was
almost to a second the exact time when. 4S hours
before the scafold drop fell with August Spies and
his comrades that to-day the backestof the hearses
drew up at the door of his relatives More peculiar
still was the fact that the hearse was just ready TO
start at the precise moment corresponding to the an
nouncement at the galows that Spies had ceased to
breathe. This was the beginning of the obsequies.
THE ROUTE OF THE PROCESSION
The scene was at the extreme northwestern corner
OF the city. and the route taken stretched right to
the centre of Chicago and out and beyond the
furthest southwestern angle. OF from Milwaukee
avenue Spies lived in little oasis Of well-to-do
Americans and Germans while the others entomb-
ed to-day had places of abode scattered at intervals
of five or six blocks close to the thoroughfare
but in the midst of the most ignorant and uncouth
classes of Chicagos foregnborn population. About
four thousand persons, most of them neighbors of
the spieses were eongregated the street and side
walks of the block in which Spies lived when the
time for departure arrived. As at the other houses
where the anarchists bodies lay. constant stream
of mourners or curious sight seers had been since
almost daylight pouring through the buildings and
viewing the liyid remains or gazing at the weeping
relatives. When the sombre hearse was standing at
the curb Capt Black. the anarchists chief counsel
was seen stepping out through the throng at the
Spies threshold. Supported on his arm, and with
head pillowed on his shoulder, clinging girl
ish figure clad in Grape from head to foot-a picture
of utter woe. The face completely yelled from
sight. Instantly the whisper was heard on every
side, There she is" there's Nina Van Zandt;"
that's Spies wife" 1t was not Till the coffin had
been placed in the hearse, the immediate mourners
had entered carriages and FIVE hundred blue badged
turner's had formed in ranks ahead that the crowd
discovered its mistake Calmly seated in the first
carriage without one sign of mourning in her ap-
pare or single trace grief in her pale, set face,
the countenance was Enthusiastically that of spiess
youthful proxy bride, but it had acquired all I'M
usual dignity and strength that were in keeping
with the occasion.
While the crowd were recovering from their sur
prise at Miss Van Zandts demeanor and dress, the
black clad girl who had accompanied Capt Black
into the same carriage with her threw back her veil
and disclosed the tear stained features of the
dead mans sister Gretchen. Alongside of Miss Van
Zandt and listening eagerly at times to her words of
glorfcation of Spies, was the anarchists aged
mother At this moment the mournful music OF a
dirge away TO the front heard, and the cortege
was on Its way to the grave. Down Milwaukee
avenue between such multitudes on either side as
never before gathered on these walks and pave
mens and at places hronged the tops of the houses
the procession marched slowly and solemnly. 1t
took up with somewhat similar scenes the body OF
Fischer, then Parsons, and afterwards those OF
Lingg and Engel. With each there was great ac-
cession to the eortege; and as it proceeded the
masses of onlookers became still more dense The
line of march, if detected north as much it was
afterward turned south, would have led almost into
the location of the anarchist gallows, but at the
corner of Despanes street there was quick change
of front, and the procession seemed headed direct
for the Haymarket.
A STRIKING SCENE
The most striking view of the procession was OBJ
tanned at the of Lake and Desplanes streets
for il brought wildly to mind the scenes of May
1886, when the bomb was thrown. 1t was just 14j
O'Clock when the head of the line reached the spot
At the corner is the saloon and hall of Charles
Zepf the anarchist. 1t to this saloon that Par
sons took his wife and children after he had finish
ed his speech at the Haymarket, and where they sal
when the bomb was thrown. Two hundred feet
south OF the corner was the place where stood the
wagon from which Spies and his comrades deliver
ed their harangues and counseled the throttling oil
the law And here, too, was the alley from which
the Kissing and fatal bomb was hurled into the
ranks of the police. little further south is the
spot where the missile fell and did such awful des-
truction, Was it by accident design that the pa
rade wound around this historic corner? was a
A,.I Nlr 1fv,a nj
march took the marching army of sympathizers di-
recty past Griefs Hail. in the basement of which a
group of reds" used to hold nightly conference and
instruct each other in the use of dynamite and
practice the manual Of arms. At the hour above
mentioned the first line of men could be seen cross
ing the Desplaines street yiadnet where in 1878 a
bloody fight took place between the police and the
railroad strikers. There was no advance guard OF
police. Chief Marshal Chas. Hepp. with two aids
led the way. They wore no red, but simple black
Clothes and Grape their arms. Then came q
brilliantly dressed corps of musicians, dressed in
the eolors of the German army, and on their head:
spiked helmets 1t was strange scene. The band
master carried a sword in his hands, and bore {
striking resemblance to King William Of Prussia
As this band passed Zepf's Hall, which was opened
and filed with drinking men, it struck up dirge
as did in fact every other band in the procession
and there were at least fifteen of them. Following
the first corps ofmusicans walked the defense com
mittee, the men who had charge of collecting th'
funds with which it was hoped to save the red
from their fate. George A. Schilling led the com
mttee. and carried in his hands floral tribute
Following them marched, eight abreast, nearly 20
members of the Aurora Turn verein, of which Au
gust Spies was a member. The whole society wa!
not out as many members are not in sympathy will
anarchy. Four hundred of the yorwarts Turne
Society came next, wearing red badges on thei
breasts. This branch of the Turner'S is more strong
~ tinctuTed with socialism than any in the city
One hundred Of the Fortsehritt branch came nexl
and then followed the feature Of the procession,
was the hearse OF August Spies. There were no nod
ding black plumes it, but the top was so coyere
with floral tributes that nothing else could be seen
Inside the richly covered casket. Standing on
in bold relief against the black broadcloth of tn
coffin was thrown great sash of red silk. 1t wa
| all the more striking because no flowers had beer
placed inside to interfere with the idea of having
Spiess beloved colors shown TO the public even ate
his death. The crowds on the street corners crane
their neeks to get glimpse of this the most impos
ing of all the hearses in the pageant Then anothe
band wheeled into Lake street playing dirge.
was in front of many hundred members Of tn
Central Labor Union, the members of which ar
among the most extreme socialists of the city. BE
/ hind them walked the black horses which drew tn
hearse in which lay the coffin of Adolph Fischer
who yelled "Hurrah for anarchy at the moment h
was hanged. His hearse had not so many flowers o
1t as had that of his eomrade Spies, but there wer
enough to show that, although he was poor mar
yet his fellow socialists had not failed to remembe
him. But for some reason no red silk emblem {
his faith had been thrown across the casket Il
| which were his remains. Then came the furnera
carriage Of Albert Il. Parsons. On the box by th
driver sat man holding in his hands floral EN-
blem of such Immense size that the inscription o
flowers From Knighis Of Labor Assembly Nc
1897" could be seen hundred feet away. This /
the assembly to which Parsons belonged pntil
was kicked ont Of the order for It's adherence to tn
cause OF the reds. For the reason that this was tn
only coral piece the hearsc it attracted all tn
more attention Then there was another thing abou
Parsons's coffin. Instead of great sash of re-
thrown across it there simple strip of red si
ribbon. which trailed carelessly from the hea,
of the casket to almost the centre, and was thel
strung along the floor OF the hearse until it woun
tsefinto little heap at the foot ut is suggestiv
= Of serpent" was the remark OF an on-lookel
Then along came another cohort of the Contra
Labor Union butchers and bakers and representa-
tves of all sorts of trades Behind these were drawn
the heGTses of George Engel and Louis Lingg. tn
suicide. They were friends in life and lived togelh
err. and in the funeral pageant were placed in clos